Podcast

10 Things I Loved In December [+ 2018!]

Happy final days of 2018 friends! This year was a total whirlwind. From kicking it off by announcing that I was launching The Confused Millennial Podcast and going to shaman school to quitting shaman school and learning I was pregnant, and so much more! It’s been a year of growth and acceptance. I’ve always been pretty good with boundaries, but this year I feel like I really made some massive shifts in where I focus my energy and as a result, it’s probably been the most peaceful year I’ve had since I was a kid (or possibly ever). I feel very grateful to have spoken to so many spirituality experts and been able to tap into my intuition more to create a life that I love more and more each day.

So with that said, let’s take a look back at all the things I loved in December AND this year!

Expecting our first baby!

I always had this fear about becoming a “mommy blogger.” I’m not sure where it came from – maybe because I was never interested in the content before or maybe because I felt like it was a loss of identity. So color me surprised that when I announced we were pregnant, and proceed to start sharing some of our journey, that it quickly became the most requested type of content on the blog!

I shared everything from pregnancy symptoms, to pregnancy checklists, to our baby registry so far and still plan to share more about the pregnancy journey in the New Year once baby arrives. I was holding back with only doing one post a month usually in order to not overwhelm everyone haha. Truthfully, I really enjoyed sharing my pregnancy journey! I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that I ended up sharing so much; even though a lot of the blog content is focused on YOU all reading, it’s all based off of what I’m currently experiencing in my life which is why it’s shifted from being more career focused, to business focused, to finances, and so on. It’s really whatever is coming up for me at the time.

Embracing my pregnancy

It’s no secret I had *a lot* of fears about getting pregnant. In January this year, I met with Shaman Durek who asked me if I wanted to have kids and shared that there was actually a block in my uterus that was preventing me from getting pregnant because of my fears. So I basically thought it’d be another year until I got pregnant. Finding out I was pregnant in June was a huge shock. These past 9 months have taught me so much – like our fears are just that, fears and don’t necessarily indicate what reality will be like. Pregnancy has turned out so much better than I could’ve ever imagined and I feel so grateful for that. This month I also shared two posts all about “pregnancy & body image.” In one, I shared 7 Ways To Love Yourself and in the other I share what my experience with pregnancy and body image has *really* been like. Learning to embrace everything from the baby’s gender to my ever changing body has felt like such a gift!

Not watching the news

I know this year was pretty tumultuous for most. But honestly, in many ways this year was my favorite yet! If you read my end of year recap last year, you know that I felt pretty depleted and defeated with all the horrible things going on in the world. As a result of those feelings, I made the decision to stop watching the news. I know it’s not the most “responsible” thing to do, but I needed to take a step back. In 2017 I just lost so many days to feelings of anxiety or sadness. And it worked! Overall, I felt so much calmer and happier. I used to worry about the type of world I would bring my future kids into, and then with getting pregnant this year, it felt nice to not feel inundated with the horrible things happening. I truly believe where our focus goes, energy flows. By not overwhelming my senses with tragedy, I feel like I’m not manifesting bad things as much. I also think it’s given me an opportunity to share more positive things and allow energy to flow into healing and spreading love instead.

That’s not to say everyone should stop watching the news. I’m sure I’ll go back to it at some point. Some people can watch it and then channel their energy into fixing things, I wasn’t one of them – I would just cry and do nothing. For me personally, I needed a break right. My system couldn’t handle it and I don’t think I’m going to start watching or following the news in 2019 either.

Getting festive

I actually haven’t really been into the holidays the last few years or so. This year I felt all the festive feels (maybe that’s nesting?). I shared my Oreo peppermint mocha frappe recipe that you can curl up with while binging my ultimate list of Christmas movies. I also flexed my creativity muscles and decided to make extra cute wrapped faux gifts (I always put faux gifts under our tree since E and I don’t do presents which you can hear more about in this podcast episode on gratitude).

Podcasts!

I really got into podcasts this year for the time ever. I closed out 2017 with a mild interest and this year I explored so many different ones. Apparently I’m not the only millennial getting into podcasts since you guys loved my post on the 10 Best Podcasts For 20 Somethings. Let me know if you want me to update it or if you have any suggestions in the comments!

Let’s not forget the top The Confused Millennial podcast episodes either:

Stopped feeling broke AF

#REALTALK: Going into this month I was straight up panicking about money. I’ve shared this before in my post on “how to prepare your household budget for entrepreneurship;” but if it always takes longer than expected to get funding in the door. So E and I have been on just my income since summer as he starts his new venture. We really thought his company would’ve had funding by November. Especially with the baby arriving in January, I was starting to feel the strain and panic. I decided I needed to shift my energy and mindset and sure enough, one I did that I ended up invoicing my biggest month ever! To spread the goodness from the shifts I took, I shared a post all about my 8 Ways To Stop Feeling Broke.

Budgeting

My Saturn return is happening in the house of self love/worth and money so it’s no surprise that one of the most loved posts of 2018 was all about budgeting! Personally, I could never really stay on top of a budget – way too many tiny categories. So I started using the 50/20/30 guideline a couple of years ago and it was a total game changer! Only 3 numbers to remember!

Self-care staycation

I think we all were looking for ways to slow down this year. This year I really got in touch with slowing down and clearing energetic space. We built forts, had movie marathons, and indulged in the ultimate self-care staycations as much as possible!

Celebrating the year of “2’s” From TCM turning 2 years old, to 2 years of marriage, to Tucker turning 2!

This year was the year of 2’s if you will! We celebrated our second wedding anniversary and babymoon at Disney! Right as I was wanting to throw in the towel and leave, I also got to meet one of the brothers from my favorite band of all time, Hanson! Which honestly was indescribable.

Tucker also turned two years old and I honestly can’t believe it! He still acts like he’s six months! I love this little nugget so much and can’t wait to see what type of big brother he’ll be to our baby girl! As a kid, I always dreamed about having a dog, so I’m thrilled our daughter will get to grow up with one as playful and cuddly as Tucker.

Lastly, TCM turned 2 this year!! It’s honestly unbelievable to me. I even had to double check with my husband that I wasn’t doing the math wrong because it feels like I’ve been blogging forever (in the best way). I can’t remember life before blogging in some ways and feel so grateful that every day I get to create content and connect with you all! It’s been one of the biggest blessings of my life.

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I'm Rachel, the founder of The Confused Millennial, a lifestyle blog sharing personal experience and advice to help other confused millennials navigate this whole "#adulting" thing on topics like careers, entrepreneurship, finance, the home, relationships and more.
After earning my Master's Degree in Counseling, and landing my "dream job" I found myself feeling completely miserable with no work-life balance. I rectified the situation by getting in touch with my passions and started coaching millennials to create their own blog or business that they could turn into a fulfilling and sustainable career. My expertise has been seen on Forbes as a contributing writer, Fast Company, Brit + Co, Dailyworth, and more. Learn more about working together on turning your blog into a business here.

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About Me

Hi there! I'm Rachel, the founder of #TCMillennial. I am a multi-passionate millennial who loves helping others embrace who they truly are while figuring out this whole "adult" thing. On the blog, you'll find all things #adulting like: real talk, tips for professional development, and so much more! If you want to write a guest post or request a topic, get in touch!